Faith Of The Heart
by Arcane Yrth
Summary: Joey's girlfriend Clare turns out to be a psycho villain, and he and Chandler face unimaginable horror as they find themselves on a chilling journey through a weird fantasy world. Joey and Chandler friendship. Can be disturbing if you do not like angst.
1. Telling Chandler

**Joey and Chandler**

**Faith of the heart**

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for their copyrighted material. (Which I borrowed!)

Friends show. I don't own Friends, meh, yeah I do, I keep them locked in a closet...

Lyrics: Russel Watson: Faith of The Heart

Celine Dion: Because you loved me

Girls Aloud, or whoever it was: I'll stand by you

R.E.M: Everybody hurts

McFly: Walk in the sun

**1 Telling Chandler**

_For all the times you stood by me, for all the truths that you made me see, for all the joy that you brought to my life, for all the wrongs that you made right..._

_My best friend, Joey has been staying in New York. _Chandler, felt the sudden urge to narrate the past two months' events in his head. _At our place. Monica and Chandler's place, that is. Why does he look so flushed?_

"Chandler, can I talk to you in private?"

"Of course, buddy." Joey and Chandler advance into the Joey Room.

"Remember that girl I met at the reception?"

"You mean Clare? The girl you've been dating since two months?"

"Yeah Clare. We broke up."

"You mean you just stopped calling her?"

"Yeah kinda. But she's really been freaking me out lately."

"She freaked me out last week."

"She was being suspicious over you."

"Why? Does she think I'm gay? Did you not tell her Monica and I are a married couple?"

"No. She thought you might know something."

"Because, when you're gay you tend to know a thing or to?"

"OK. Is this just a big joke to you? Because I'm seriously worried about what that Clare's gonna do."

"Nono, sorry. I am taking this seriously. What do you mean, what's she gonna do?"

"Well...the more I started to date her, the more I started to realize...she wanted a serious relationship...and it was all too fast...When you told her that I usually never call girls back the next day, she went crazy..."

"Because she thought you might never call her back one day?"

"Yeah, she thought that. But it was true, obviously..."

"So she just went crazy?"

"She starting asking me for money...like two thousand dollars..."

"What?"

"Oh man, I shouldn't have told you this..."

"Why are you scared of this woman?"

"She threatened me...and it scared me..."

"How did she threaten you?"

"She threatened to hurt or even kill me, or anyone I tell this to..."

"That's insane, Joey. Why would she do anything like that? I mean, I know she scared me, but..."

"OK, I see you're not going to help me with this." He started toward the door.

"No, Joey, wait!"

Joey left, leaving the door to slam shut in Chandler's face. Chandler stood regarding the door for a moment, going over the new thoughts in his head.

_For every dream you made come true, for all the life I found in you..._


	2. Evil Clare

**2 Evil Clare**

_Oh, why do you look so sad? tears are in your eyes, come on and come to me now. Don't be ashamed to cry. Let me see you through, cos I've seen the dark side too..._

A full hour later, Joey emerged from the Central Perk coffee house, he was talking into a cell phone.

"Yeah, OK Chandler, you're probably right. I'm going to the bus stop now." He was planning on going back to Chandler's, when his eye caught someone approaching him from the street. It was the same person he had feared it to be, that familiar face. It was Clare.

The voice on the phone continued;

"Joey? Joey, you there?"

The conversation hung in mid-air for a minute of two.

"Tell your friend you are fine Joey," said Clare, "tell him you will be a while...". The woman grabbed Joey by the arm for a brief moment, enticing him to turn in the other direction, but he pulled away. They had turned a few heads on the street, but no-one had stopped to gawp, people simply walked on politely. Clare waited for a small crowd of people to pass before she fished into her handbag, deliberately revealing a clean, silver knife. she then put it back and beckoned Joey with a sly finger to her apartment. Joey decidedly followed her.

Each step closer to Clare's apartment was like more time being wasted. Time in which Joey could figure a way out of Clare's grasp. But clearly he had no other option but to follow the woman's orders. Clare knew exactly what was on Joey's mind, which was certain doom if he didn't go with her, and along the way she kept remindign him of that, by producing the knife from her handbag so he could see its deathly blade. The last knife-threat was at the apartment door, becasue Joey refused to enter. Joey was eventually pushed into the door by Clare.

Inside the apartment, Clare stroked the knife in her hands. Joey looked scared. For a moment he seemed to see something in Clare Divine's face that was both strong and forbidding - something that had not been there almost two months ago, when a much more gratifyng woman had set eyes upon him at the reception.

Flashback...

There was a tall woman, leaning with her back against the reception desk. She held in her hand a tourist information leaflet, which she regarded with a hint of disinterest. Joey approached the woman.

"How _you_ doin'?" He said it in a way only Joey Tribbinani could have said it. The woman slowly eased her head to the right, she did not smile. Her lips were thin and straight, with a thick coating of red lipstick. She straightened herself up and whisked the lealet onto the table-top, with such force that it slid off the desk and onto the floor. She ignored it. Joey took rise in the opportunity and fished the leaflet up off the floor. He then handed it back to her briefly.

"Here, I think you dropped this." There was a kind confidence in his voice which eased the cold tension in the room. The woman smiled.

"Oh, thanks." She took the leaflet and placed it in her handbag. "Do I know you?"

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before. Joey Tribbiani." He put out a hand to shake hers. She shook it with confidence.

"Clare Divine." She whipped a curtian of blonde hair over her shoulder. It had only just registered with Joey that she had a Brittish accent.

"Hey, you're a Brittish chick!" Clare knew that this man would have embarrassed her, had there been anyone else around; but the room was still as miserably silent as before.

"Yes, I've come to New York to look for an appartment, actually."

"Hey, I know where there's an apartment to rent. Used to be mine, actually." He raised a pretentious eyebrow at her. "You wanna grab a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, let's." They walked. She hooked her arm into his and her thin lips grinned over her shoulder, a grin which said: _And now onto my next victim..._

"Joey? ... Joe?" Chandler on the cell phone.

"I...have to go," Joey said to him in a quivering voice, "...call you back..."

Clare's eyes were emotionless, though her smile was intense as though she were concentrating hard at something amusing. She let the light reflect in her hand at the silver-bladed knife.

"So where's the money?" She stood, posing confidently as if the alley were a stage, lined with satin. She was wearing a red dress, draped elegantly below her knees, and she pouted her full, red lips.

Joey stepped back, "W-what, what money?"

"The money. I want my money, Joey." She replied monotonously.

"What do you mean?...What are you doing with that knife?"

The only reply he got from her was a soft twinkle in the blue-grey pools of her eyes.

"What are you doin' with that knife, Clare?"

Clare smirked, as she sided slowly nearer to Joey until her face was only an inch away from his.

"Now I'm gonna make sure you don't say a word about this to your friends." Without hesitation she drew back her arm and thrust the blade into Joey's stomach. Joey made a muffled groan. Clare covered up his mouth so he couldn't scream. She retracted the knife, Joey's hand clapsed his stomach. Fresh blood ran loosely through his fingers. Clare stepped back and let him fall. She crouched down and put her face closely up against his. Then she looked into Joey's terrfied eyes and whispered.

"There's no escape..." She abandoned the redened knife on the ground, letting it rattle in its gravitational ballance. For a moment her eyes were still transfixed on her victim, then she turned and strutted out of his restictional view. Joey thought he heard Clare laugh, and that laugh seemed to echo in his mind a few times over.


	3. Chandler in Clare's Apartment

**3 Chandler in Clare's apartment**

_When the night falls on you, you don't know what to do, nothing you can say, can make me love you less. I'll stand by you. I'll stand by you. Won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you._

Chandler had tried to call Joey three times that following half-hour. He called for a fourth time, and when there was still no reply, he whipped on his coat and headed for Clare's appartment.

"Joe?...hello?..Clare?" Chandler knocked on the door but there was no reply. Instead he heard the fast-approaching '_clack'_ of stilletto-heeled shoes.

Chandler twisted the door handle, and found it was already open. Immediately he saw Clare, she had a distressed look-upon her face.

"Chandler, it's, it's Joey, he...had an accident with the kitchen knife."

Chandler knew she was lying. He made a fist and walloped her on the nose. She staggered onto the floor, her angry eyes suddenly seemed as red as the blood on her face.

Looking around, Chandler could not see his friend, so he called for him again...and again. Then his eyes widened as he spotted Joey's legs on the floor in a pool of blood. He slung his jacket on the floor and dashed over to his friend.

"Joey! Wha-- Nooo---!" He was lost for words, Joey was on his back, barely moving apart from his curling fingers and heaving chest. Chandler clutched Joey's head in his hands, he was trying to say something to him. He took a quick glace at the knife covered in blood next to him. Chandler cradled his best friend on his knee, wrapping his arms tightly around him.

Joey spoke.

"Chandler..." But Chandler wouldn't let him finish.

"Joey!...don't worry, you're gonna be OK... just..." He carefully placed Joey back onto the floor "...I'm right here, just calling an ambulance..." Under his breath he cried "Oh god..." as he lunged for the phone, he dialed frantically and missed all the right numbers. Then he paused and dropped the phone, holding in his hand the telephone wire, which had been cut. "Phone lines are cut off" He rose to his feet, his mouth open and looking to Joey, "I...Joey, I won't be long, I'm going accross the hall to..." before he could finish, Chandler heard a latching sound on the door, he caught the door knob and twisted it hard several times but it was useless...they were locked in.

"THAT BITCH!" Chandler screamed. Still he jerked the door knob in frustration, his breathing becoming unbalanced. With his fists he slammed at the door, "Monica! Ross, anybody, are you there? We need help...Help!" But there was no reply. Chandler beat and kicked the door, he stubbed his toe, angered at his own fault. _Of course no one's there...his wife was at home and his friends were all busily involved in their own lives. _He tried all the windows and even looked for an emergency fire escape. _Every exit and escape route locked, _it dawnedon him. Chandler on his account blamed himself for being perhaps too incapable of saving the life of his own best friend. His weaknesses were blatently comforted by the fact that he was physically incapable of openening a door. The last thing on his mind was to give in to his weaknesses, but he was soon running out of options on which not to. He needed not to try hard, the inevitebility had already caught up with him. Chandler's face had turned pale and his hands were shaking uncontrolably. He leaned with his back against the door looking up, his breath was stuttered. He looked to Joey and tried to harden up. Chandler felt a hard lump clinging in his throat and he swallowed in spite the pain.

He kneeled into the pool of blood beside Joey. He gently petted Joey's shoulders in an attempt to comfort him. Joey was breathing but non-responsive, and Chandler assumed he was unconscious. Nevertheless Chandler found the wound immediately after he unbuttoned Joey's shirt. Then he went into a storage cupboard and emerged with a First-Aid kit which he put on the floor to keep close at hand. From it he grabbed the biggest bandage he could see and clumsily started to empty the rest of the contents onto the floor, casting aside all the medicines which he didn't have use for. Then Chandler jarred as something crashed into the door, he immediately lunged himself at Joey, to protect him.

Then a voice, "Chandler, you in there?"

Chandler's eyes widened in response to the familiar voice. "Ross! You're here, Oh my god!" He replied.

"Chandler what's going on? Monica said you were going here to see Joey, is he with you?" Ross' voice seemed tense.

"Yes he is. Listen...Joey is hurt...but he's OK..." His voice was shakey and unsuttle.

"Wha- What hapened?" There was a moment of silence as Chandler couldn't begin to explain what had happened. Ross comtinued, "I'm going to get an axe, stay away from the door..." Ross' crashing footsteps faded, soon leaving Chandler and Joey in silence again.

Chandler sat wide-eyed and determined next to his friend.

"We're saved, Joey." he comfort-talked. "We're saved, just hang on in there, buddy!"

Chandler was on the floor, they were both covered in Joey's blood. Chandler hated blood. He brought himself again to look at the wound, then he took the bandage from the first aid box, "Joey, I'm going to bandage you up now, OK?" Joey mumbled something under his breath, his eyes were closed.

"Joey, please don't give up on me." Chandler applied some of the bandage to the wound, and Joey winced. He then opened his eyes and began to look around wearily. Chandler supported him as he tried to prop him up against the counter.

"Just sit up, I'll bandage you like this." Chandler put the bandage around Joey, it immediately turned red from the blood. Chandler wraped it loosely and his hands were still shaking. Joey looked wearily at the wound himself.

"Oh man..." He moaned, "This is how I'm gonna die."

Chandler looked him firmly in the eye, "No. No, I won't let that happen."

There was a call from outside the door, "Hey, guys?", it was Ross again, he had returned.

Chandler answered, "Ross! You got an axe yet?" Before there was a reply, the metal edge of an axe hacked through the middle of the door, and Chandler jumped. There was another three seconds of silence.

"We're gonna need a bigger axe!" Yelled Ross.

"Ross, use the small axe!" shouted Chandler.

"OK. Here I come..." The axe smashed into the door again, and again. Several hacks later, the door had been chopped at enough for Ross to squeeze through. As he got into the room he dropped the axe.

"Oh my god..." He looked down at the pathetic state of Chandler and Joey on the floor. Chandler's hands were red and some of his shirt was too...Joey was lying down again, this time only his head and shoulders were being propped up by Chandler's knee. He had blood all over him.

Ross leant down and undid the front of Joey's shirt, with it's buttons already open. He was wearing a T-shirt underneath which used to be white.

"You bandaged this?" Ross finally asked.

"Who else?" Said Chandler. "It was all I _could_ do..."

Ross went straight to the first aid box, "We need to re-bandage this._ Properly_." He glanged back at Chandler angrily as he said _properly_. Then he gasped, "You used up all of the bandage? Oh don't tell me, you used them to fling waterballoons off the roof!" There was an unsettling tension about him.

Chandler felt there was no need in arguing and simply sighed. Ross knelt back down, "This needs stitches."

Chandler became increasingly frustrated with Ross. He felt he was supposed to be reducing the tension, but was simply creating more.

"Stitch him up? What good will that do? Just get a doctor, a doctor is what he needs." He got up and turned to face a wall, placing his forehead onto his thumb and forefinger. He tried to hold back his tears, but failed.

Ross was silent as he worked on the bandage. He had soon made do with tightening it up himself. He had shortly found that the availability of stitching supplies were non-existant. Joey felt an increase in pain as Ross pulled the bandage tight.

Then Ross looked searchingly at Chandler.

"...I'm sorry about before." His voice had calmed, "I guess I was just..."

Chandler too had calmed slightly, "...scared?" Ross simply nodded in reply. "Me too." Chandler looked down at his friends.

"But Chandler," Ross began, "You should be going for a doctor right now, and my cell phone is outside the door, I dropped it, if you need to use it, go ahead! GO!" Chandler needed no more prompting and made an immediate dash for the door.


	4. There's No Way Out

**4 There's No Way Out**

_When the day is long, the night is yours alone, and you're sure you've had enough, of this life. Hang on. Don't let yourself go, cos everybody cries. Everybody hurts, sometimes. _

"All of the doors are locked." Said an exhausted Chandler, on return. He was holding Ross' cell which he had aquired from the place he had dropped it.

"What?" Ross gasped.

"All the doors in the entire block, including the exit. I tried to get to a phone before but there's no signal...anywhere..." Ross looked surprised and shook his head disbelievingly as he spoke, "No...There's always signal in an apartment."

"I'm telling you I called everyone." Chandler said deflatedly, "There's just no signal."

His voice still sounded surprised when he finally spoke, "No signal...but how...why?.. I don't geddit.'" Ross was sitting in an armchair next to Chandler who was resting on a couch. He simply shrugged.

"I just came here because Monica sounded so worried...and obviously...I began to worry when I heard you but you were locked in. Why_ were _you locked in?" Chandler said, "It was Clare. I heard her lock the door from the outside."

"Chandler, your door doesn't lock from the outside..." As he said so he got up to demonstrate. There was clearly no lock on the outside.

"But it was Clare..." Chandler assured.

"Chandler, there was no-one here..." They both thought for a moment and then looked at Joey. Then Ross finaly said:

"Who stabbed Joey, was that Clare too?" Chandler didn't answer and felt reluctant to say anything. Then Ross spotted the knife.

"Oh my god...the weapon...?" He walked over and stared at it. The blood on it still looked fresh. "Why would someone leave it here just lying on the floor?"

Chandler became unnerved, "Ross, please. Can we just concentrate on getting the hell out?" The viens were showing in his forehead. He could feel his blood pressure beginning to rise. He marched over to the windows, and they were all boarded up. "Something seriously weird is going on Ross, and I don't like it."

Nightfall came quickly, and Chandler was rummaging in one of the bedrooms. He was searching for some pillows so they could all camp out in the living room. He had thought this through, and it seemed that this was the best thing to do, since he didn't want to have to move Joey any further from the couch. He decided he would nap next to him with Ross to keep Joey company and to make sure he was OK. It turned out he didn't need to hand anyone a pillow as they were already asleep, but he put one under Joey's head anyway.

Joey was still on the couch, he looked peaceful as he slept, and Chandler now had posession of the armchair, as Ross was resting at the end of the couch next to Joey. He was leaning slightly to the right and Chandler thought Ross would fall over onto Joey. Chandler leaned back in the armchair and studied his friends for a moment. They both seemed peaceful and content, and it looked as though they had nothing on their minds. Chandler settled down, and although he thought he would never be able to, he soon also fell asleep.

Joey had a painful awakening, as he began to feel the pressure from his wound again. Ross beside him, was dabbing his wound with a damp flannel. Joey looked around, "How long have I been out?" His voice sounded bleak and strenuous. Ross stopped dabbing for a moment,

"Quite a while, Joey. How are you feeling?" He spoke with confidence, happy to hear his friend's voice again.

"Am I dead?" Said Joey.

"No. No of course not, I...we, took good care of you!" grinned Ross. Then Chandler entered the room holding the axe. He was out of breath and spoke quickly,

"I think we can get the door open. I've been using the axe on it but it's hard work."

Then Ross stood up, "I'll go next. You stay here and I'll chop some more." Chandler was too out of breath to answer, but he handed Ross the axe, then he sat himself down in the armchair next to Joey. Ross left the room. When Chandler regained his breath, he picked up a packet of potato chips, "Want anything to eat?" he asked Joey.

"Yeah!" Said Joey, excitedly. Then he tried to sit up, but had to lie back down, wincing. Then he let Chandler help him up slowly. He was given a packet of potato chips and a can of beer. Chandler too was drinking.

"If I know you well, that is your favourite breakfast!" He mused.

"True!" Joey smiled.

A sudden rush of blood ran to Chander's head as he remembered how he had first seen Joey stabbed. All the bad memories from yesterday afternoon came flooding back. He saw a flash-back of the pool of blood, and Joey, who was in it. Then the knife. He could hear Joey's voice from yesterday trying to speak his name, _Chandler..._

For a moment Chandler had to steady himself as he was about to fall, but he quickly turned away from the headache and breathed.

"Chandler, you OK?" Joey tried to get up to help his friend. Chandler couldn't reply as he was still recovering. Joey, now worried, managed to pull himself onto his feet, though he could feel the pain surging through him. He was still waiting for a reply from Chandler who was facing the other way. "Chandler?" Joey had to use the furniture for support as he climbed across to Chandler. Then Chandler turned to Joey, his face was in shock,

"Joey, wha---.Sit back down, you're hurt!" He ordered. Joey looked surprisingly at Chandler, before he let Chandler take him by the arm, then Ross entered the room. Ross was about to say something but was too shocked by what he saw, "Chandler! What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to kill him or something?" He rushed over to Joey and helped Chandler sit him down. He again frowned at Chandler, "You know he's too sick to walk!"

"But he got up himself..." Chandler said defensively. Ross interrupted,

"I couldn't leave you alone with him for one second..."

"But I..." Chandler tried to make Ross understand the situation but he was stubborn. Then a voice from the couch...,

"Guys don't fight!" Joey moaned. Then Chandler and Ross looked at each other,

"You're right, I'm sorry." said Ross.

"I got up myself. Ok...I was worried about Chandler..." Ross and Chandler stared...

"What...why?" asked Ross. Chandler's head sunk, and Joey added,

"He was looking really...un-well." Ross looked at Chandler who was embarassed,

"Chandler, are you OK?" Chandler said,

"I'm fine... Did you get any further with the door?" There was a pause. Then Ross said,

"I wanted to take a break." He looked Chandler sternly in the eye as he handed him the axe. Chandler nodded,

"K. See you guys later." As he left the room Ross followed him into the corridor. He stopped Chandler as he was about to go down the stairs,

"Dude...if there's a problem...you can talk about it..." Chandler simply sighed,

"I'm _fine_. Don't worry about me." He started going down the stairs. Ross watched him leave and turned back toward the appartment.

There was a call from across the hall, "Guys!" Chandler yelled, "I'm through!" Ross got up,

"OK. I'm coming." He'd already talked the plan through with Joey. First he would go down with Chandler and once they'd got outside they'd get help. It was simple but it meant that they had to leave Joey for a little while. "Joey, I'm gonna go with Chandler. Now are you absoloutely sure you're gonna be OK?" Ross asked.

"Sure, don't worry." replied Joey. Ross gave Joey a hug for comfort and Joey smiled as he watched him leave. Downstairs Chandler wished he'd given Joey a hug too, but he didn't want to waste any more time, then Ross appeared, "OK, you needed help?"

Chandler said, "Yeah, I've hacked as much away as I could, now we need to push away the broken parts of what's left." As the two of them worked on pushing the wood splinters away they both realised something odd. "Chandler, isn't there usually street noise?" Chandler let go of the door as he thought, and he too realised that it was bizzarly silent outside. Both looked at each other and Chandler shrugged, "Dunno, maybe we're just both deaf!" he mused. Ross laughed at his joke but did not find it amusing. Then Chandler asked, "You brought the axe?" He thought they needed to do some extra hacking afterall.

"Damn, I left it upstairs..." Ross whined. "I'll go get it."

"No, I'll go with you." said Chandler. "I don't feel safe down here all alone..." The two headed up the stairs.


	5. Walls Cave In

**5 Walls Cave In**

A strange sensation filled them both as they nearly reached the top...They could sense their bodies tremble as the walls began to shake. "What's going on?" shouted Chandler fearfully. Ross too could not explain why the appartment was shaking. "Maybe it's an earthquake." he said bewilderingly. There was a sudden gut-wrenching thunder as cracks started to appear in the cieling and walls, tearing the concrete apart. "_What the hell is happening?_" Chandler repeated. He faught against the shaking turmoil, "We have to get to Joey!" he screamed. Ross had to shield his eyes from the rubble which was starting to free itself from the ceiling. In the heat of the moment, Chandler had lost grip of the banister and slipped off the step. Ross did not see him fall, "Joey!" he called. Then as he turned to look for Chandler, he was hit by a large piece of rubble which knocked him to the side violently, but still he gripped on to the bannister. He was torn. Should he go after Joey or Chandler? Then he felt something tug at his arm. His vision was obscured by the falling dust and concrete, but he realised it was Chandler who had made it back up. His face was plastered in the white rubble, "C'mon Ross!" He pulled Ross up with him as he made his way to the top. Ross saw another boulder come in their direction, but Chandler did not not notice it through his concentration. Ross tried to move Chandler away but he continued to pull in the direction of the apartment. Then Ross felt Chandler's arm slip out of his grasp, as he was forced to move out of the way of the boulder. Chandler looked suddenly at the boulder, he shielded his face with his arm instingtively but it came straight for him. He felt the boulder brush past him and some other force which pushed him away from the danger. His body was thrown onto the top of the banister, where Ross caught him in his arms. Chandler looked back to see that it was Joey who had saved him. Joey had used up the last of his strength and was now in danger of being crushed in the rubble. Ross watched Joey stumble through the obscured hallway. Joey shouted, "_Go! Go save yourselves!_" Ross took Chandler by the shoulders and forced him away. Chandler was too reluctant to leave, "Let go Ross, I have to help Joey!"

But Ross would not let go of Chandler, "This is our last chance to save ourselves, come!" Finally Chandler gave in but had to be half dragged away by Ross and he continued to stare back into the crumbling yonder. Ross felt crushed inside but knew this was the best thing to do. By the time the two of them had reached the exit, they were both exausted from panic and grief. They hadn't even reached the exit, when the walls caved in over their heads.

Then, everything went black...


	6. Worlds Apart

**6 Worlds Appart**

"_Chandler_." The bleak call echoed in Chandler's mind. "_Chandler_." Then Chandler opened his eyes. A sharp light forced him to close them again. Fully conscious he realised that the calls were only memories. He tightened his wrists, wishing away the bad conscience inside him. He tried to listen to his actual surroundings. He could make out the sound of some birds singing and the feint whistle of wind. It was brushing against him and felt cold, though he enjoyed the cooling sensation as he was feeling quite hot. He again opened his eyes, but this time fully. He took a glance at his fist infront of him and at the ground beneath it. He saw sandy brown dirt and as he moved his head slightly he saw grass. Chandler tried to get his head together, _Am I still in New York?_...

He rested his forehead on his thumb and forefinger and wiped the sweat off with the back of his hand. His skin felt like it was burning up. Again he took a look around, at the ground and the grass, the grass was tall and wild looking. He also noticed a few trees in the distance. _No. This is not...not even Central Park. _Chandler thought. He forced himself up on his feet, still a little dizzy, he stumbled a couple of times before he gradually regained his balance. Chandler eyed a patch of shade over by a tree. He did not go to it, instead he cupped his hands together and called, "Ross..." He imagined that Ross must have ended up nearby. He walked in a circle several times in search, until he heard another yell, "_Chandler!_" The voice belonged to Ross. Chandler immediately followed the voice to a nearby tree. Ross was in the shade, he was sitting down before he spotted Chandler, then got up to greet him, "Chandler, you OK?"

"Yeah..." His voice was monotonous. Ross tried to recieve eye contact with Chandler but his eyes were fixed firmly elsewhere.

"You?..." Ross nodded, still Chandler wouldn't look him in the eye. He walked a few paces and Ross tried to comfort him,

"You need to sit down..." He said soflty.

Chandler turned quickly to him, "No time for that now, we have to find Joey." He could feel his anger building. Ross stared and his eyes were still on Chandler,

"Chan-"

"Are you coming with me...or not...?" Chandler interrupted. As he spoke, his voice was shaky and he looked around desperately, "Joey?...Joey?" His calls were full of anger and frustration. Ross stood still but looked down to the ground, he turned himself away from Chandler. Chandler called a few more times and still walked out through the grass. He lashed at the grass as he walked, his elbows were bent and his fists were clenched tight. Then he went silent as he closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing. He looked at his right hand which was shaking and soaked in sweat. He felt that his forehead was too. Chandler slumped into the grass, he could feel himself begin to choke up. He tried to hold back a tear but failed. Ross noticed Chandler had stopped his calling, and came over to find Chandler curled up and quivering in the grass. He then knelt beside his pathetic jiggling body. "Look...None of this was your fault...It just happened, and...we just have to do what we can to keep us...going." Chandler puffed at the ground as he breathed, then he turned and looked at Ross. His face was laden with tears, and on his forehead he had a small scratch near his hairline. "It should have been me who was hit by that boulder...it should have been...me right from the beginning, me who...not J-Joey..." He sobbed loudly. His hands shook voilently and he dug his face into them. Ross too had tears in his eyes. He sat beside Chandler and they embraced. Then Ross felt he should get up and he dragged Chandler onto his feet. Chandler almost fell right back down again but Ross supported him with his arm. Chandler stared at the grass again, he looked ahead of him at the trees. He felt Ross try to move him to the shade but he became transfixed onto something in the grass. There was something which made Chandler force himself away from Ross, and he moved quickly away again. Ross felt Chandler was still upset and decided to let him free himself of his emotions. He watched as Chandler stumbled upon the ground in the distance, as if he was trying to go somewhere in particular. He looked hard at his disappearing figure, then followed him at a slow pace.

Chandler knew he had seen something. He knew what he wanted to find and whether it wasn't he still wanted to find something, just to be relieved of the curiosity. Chandler became close to what he had seen. It was something brightly colored which stuck out from the natural surroundings. He saw clearly now the same color up front. There were clothes, and then he saw a body. Chandler recognised it instantly as being his friend Joey. As he saw him he threw himself unconrolably to the ground beside him, and yelled in fear of him not being alive. Tears were spreading down his cheeks again. Joey lay motionless in the grass. His face had remnants of plaster on it, and above his right eye was a long, deep gash. There was a stream of blood obscuring half his face. His hair was wild with plaster and dirt. His T-shirt was still stained red and torn accross the middle. Chandler choked over Joey's body as Ross jumped into sight. His mouth was wide open and he leant down to inspect Joey. He put one hand out to his chest, then he felt his neck to find a pulse...He gave an astonished nod. His eyes were widened and he and Chandler continued to stare in disbelief. Suddenly Joey gasped and tried to cough up some words, "_Chandler_...coughs..." Chandler cradled Joey comfortingly on his knee. He felt another tear trickle down his cheek.

Darkness had fallen upon the land that the three friends were in. "I need just a couple more pieces." Ross exclaimed, "We need more firewood than this if it's going to last us all night." He was marching around a small cave entrance, not far from the spot where they had found Joey.

"K. Ross, I see some." Chandler was carrying a small pile of about six branches in his arms. He added them to a bigger pile near the cave entrance. Inside the cave, Joey was resting. They had managed to carry him there that morning, and it had taken them nearly all day and nearly all their strength. They hadn't seen Joey awake in all that time. The cave was only small, and could hardly be called a cave, as it was merely a hollow in the side of a cliff-edge. It was barely big enough for one man to lie in. When enough wood was gathered, Ross took a few attempts at lighting a fire with some sticks but failed. He eventually got it right. "Well, not so stupid I took up being a boy scout _now_ is it, Chandler?" He mused at the rise of his own achievement.

Then Chandler laughed, "You said it _boy scout_!" in an attempt to steal his dignity.

Later that evening the three of them lay side by side in the grass, their eyes gazing as they merged deep into their thoughts. Chandler and Ross just thought, and Chandler turned to his right to look at Joey, "I wonder what Joey's thinking."

Ross simply nodded.

"He could be thinking really terrible things, he could be having nightmares..."

Ross looked now, "Or, he could be dreaming of happy things, like.. eating... pizza..."

"Yeah, or a combination of watching Baywatch and drinking beer..." Chandler laughed.

"Or...hey, remember that time when Joey put on Phoebe's maternity pants, so he could eat all of the thankgsgiving turkey?..." Ross added. Then the two of them laughed and fell silent again.

"I miss those times." Chandler said quietly.

"Good night, Chandler."

"Good night, Ross...and Joey..."

"Good night..." Said Joey. Silence. "...You know it was only because it was such a _big turkey_..."

"Go to sleep, Joey." Chandler interrupted...

"I am asleep, Chandler."


	7. This Ain't New York, Guys

**7 This Ain't New York Guys**

Joey was first to awaken that morning, he looked to his two sleeping friends and then at the burned out fire. A thin stream af smoke was growing from the centre of it. Joey watched it for a while and breathed in the sweet smokey air. It was mixed with the scent of rich grass in the morning dew. He listened to the birds singing in the sky above him. He spread out his arms on the ground, he was feeling hot and sticky. He put one hand out infront of his face, his hand was dirty and red. He touched his side with it and shifted slightly on the sand. he felt a surging rush of pain. He lay still and felt his forehead which was pounding. The blood had dried up into a thick crust which had matted some of his hair. He closed his eyes again and thought. _Where the hell am I? What were they talking about last night? _

Then Joey heard the others begin to stir. Chandler sat up, he could feel a splitting headache coming on. He saw Joey stirring a little and smiled, "Joey, you awake?"

Joey opened his eyes to confirm, he smiled at Chandler, "Yeah." Then he started to look concerned, "You hurt?" He noticed the scratch on Chandler's head and his sun-burned, tired face. "Oh, no I'm not hurt bad...neither is Ross..." Chandler said assuringly.

"So we survived, huh?" Said Joey.

Then Ross too started to stir, "Guys?" He smiled and came over to pat Joey on the shoulder.

Joey patted him back, "This ain't New York, guys." He laughed.

Ross thought, "No. This is...Africa I think."

"WHA--?" Chandler shouted in disbelief, "Africa? You're crazy, Ross!"

"Yeah, Africa is where The Lion King lives." Joey added, proudly remembering one of his Disney videos.

Ross folded his arms in disappoinment, "Guys, see those trees over there?" He pointed, "And that mountain over there?" The friends looked. There was indeed a blue, grey coloured mountain on the horizon. It looked unreachably far. Chandler stared at it, "It's so big..." He thought out loud.

Ross nodded, "It's definatley African, I'm thinking mount' kilimanjaro but I could be wrong." he smiled smugly.

"_But how did we end up here?_" Joey yelled loudly.

Chandler felt a joke coming on, "I see, Dr Geller's theory _could_ be wrong!" He toyed.

Ross frowned at Chandler, "I'm basing this on what I know are _common facts_." He added. Chandler laughed and Joey smirked. "Laugh all you want, but could you have made _this fire _without me?" He pointed at the steaming pile of branches. Chandler looked deliberately at the pile, indicating that there clearly was no fire. Ross stamped his foot in humiliation. Then he turned, "I guess you're probably hungry, huh?" He grinned.

Chandler rolled his eyes, "OK Ross. We geddit..."

Ross continued to grin, "And..." he added expectantly.

Chandler sighed, "...And, _Ross knows best._" Chandler said monotonously. Ross felt pleased with himself and laughed at Chandler's embarassment.

"I'm guessing around here the best way to get food is in the ground." He lectured. "We should dig near a tree to find yams. I saw them do that in a survival documentary."

Chandler accepted the statement, "OK, but since _you're the best_, shouldn't you be the one doing all of the digging?" He said craftily.

Ross frowned again, "I have a PHD, Chandler. I'm not stupid."

Joey began to feel uneasy, "Hey you guys don't fight." They turned to Joey who had been listening to their argument. "I wanna help get the food..." He said as he began to pick himself up. Chandler and Ross quickly gestured for him to sit back down again, and Ross pushed gently down onto his shoulders, "You will stay right here, Joey."

Then Chandler said, "We could take it in turns...I'll stay here with Joey...while you show me from a distance how to dig for jams."

"_Yams._" Ross corrected.

Chandler shrugged and rolled his eyes, "_Yams._"

"OK. I guess that's fair." He looked at Joey, turned and left for the nearest tree. Chandler sat down next to Joey and waited expectantly, he could barely see Ross through the tall grass, but could just make him out several metres away, his back was bent forward near a tree where he was digging carefully with his hands. Lying down, Joey was having difficulty in watching Ross, he strained his vision so he could see his feet and everything that was just beyond them. Chandler tapped his fingers rhythmetically as he sat, "I am _so_ hungry." He was still staring in the direction of Ross as he exclaimed to Joey. Joey was thinking the same, "Tell me about it. I dunno what this _yam_ food is, but I tell ya I could eat a _bucket load _of that right now!" He laughed out loud. Joey nodded as the reminder of food poked into his stomach. He could feel a sickening surge of emptiness inside of him, not just in his stomach, but also in his mind.

Ross returned with a small armful of what Chandler thought looked like some sort of reddish potato. Their faces lit up with the sight of food, Ross was also smiling confidently, "OK..." Then his smile suddenly turned into a grimmace, "_Chandler! Why didn't you light a fire? _"He shouted angrily.

"Oh...I didn't realize you needed a fire to eat yams." Chandler shrugged in a sarcastic mannor. Ross rolled his eyes deliberately when he spoke, "Well if you want to eat _raw vegetable protein matter_, fine!" His voice was loud and antagonising. "But I'll just be lighting a fire so I can eat mine cooked!"

He lit the fire frustratedly but improved on his skill. He then rubbed the dirt off one of the yams.

"So what now, we put them on little sticks and hold them to the fire like marshmallows?" Chandler teased.

Ross was beginnig to tire of Chandler's jokes, "Not that you would know any better but marshmallows are cooked that way because they _melt_." He picked up a second yam and began to rub at that too. Chandler opened his mouth to say something but Joey interupted, "How _do _we cook 'em ?" he asked Ross. Ross cleared his throat as he put down the last yam next to the fire. He thought for a moment, "I don't know." He said quietly.

"Why don't we wrap them in leaves and then put them in the middle of the fire?" Joey said enthusiastically. "That's what they did on 'Days Of Our Lives' in the ex_treme wilderness_ episode!" His two friends listened, and Chandler responded with a confused glance.

"OK. We have a cook here people!" He yelled as if a live audience were watching them. Chandler rolled his eyes so Joey could see, but Ross saw it too.

That evening the friends continued to talk and sit whilst eating their roast yams, and Chandler thought it had been the longest day he had ever experienced. He had the unfamiliar after-taste of yam in his mouth. He hadn't eaten as many as the others, and still had some left by the side. He was rolling them around in the leaf Ross had prepared them in. Ross was leaning relaxed onto his elbow and picking his teeth with his fingernails. Chandler was sitting up and poking at the embers in the fire with a stick. He stared intensely; his mind was elsewhere, lost in the red curling heat of the fire. As he stared he saw the flames begin to curl harder and faster, and the sound of the crackling wood became louder. He tried to look away but couldn't, and he felt the heat of the fire on his skin becoming hotter as he gazed into them. Still the crackling became louder, and other sounds began to merge in with it, '_Chandler...' _A familiar voice inside his head, mixed with the grim image of a knife. The same horrific image from before, he recognised the thick red liquid still dripping off the blade. Chandler tried to control his own breathing as he felt himself step into the apartment with hard, echoing footsteps. He looked at his hands which were shaking violently. He forced himself to take a quick glance around the room. Joey's room. He dared not to look at the floor in the fear of coming face to face with that horrible scene. He yelled as he felt his eyes being opened by some inexplicable force, focusing them directly onto the red flooor. He saw Joey, his eyes wide and searching. His hands gripping the air and his knuckles turning white. Chandler choked in fear, his mouth gaping at Joey for a moment as their horrified eyes met. Again the voice appeared, _'Chandler...'_ Chandler screamed out loud, "NO! This isn't real...It's not..." he screamed through the trapped voice in his head, not knowing if anyone was there to help him. He was unsure whether he was in reality, though he wished hard for it not to be, as his time to save Joey was long gone. For a moment all that was in Chandler's mind was that Joey had died. He quivered in a huddled mass beside his friend's body, wriving and shouting at the world. "Please don't..." He shook heavily as he took a breath, "...Don't be happening to me...If this is real... Oh god don't be." He grabbed Joey and held him tightly to his chest, burrying his head into his clothes. Chandler errupted in tears, as he felt all his own strength merge into one big mass of confusion. He continued to clench onto his friend's body like it was the last thing he had left. "I wont...let go. I won't." His face hardened out and his clench became harder in thought. The mass of confusion was mixing inside of his head again, and tearing at his skull as if it wanted something from him. Chandler gritted his teeth as he let the big ball of confusion explode infront of him, and he saw once more against the reddened background, the face of Joey looking through him into his thoughts. Chandler distraught, listened to his voice, "Chandler!"

Then Chandler awoke. He lay gasping for air, his back toward the ground. As he looked up he saw the grey sky patched all over with watery blue clouds. He took a deep breath of relief as he felt his friend's shoulder up against him. He turned to see which friend it was. It wasn't Joey, it was Ross. Chandler sat up, he could feel a mild headache rumbling in the back of his brain. He saw Ross was lying fast asleep, which made him feel a little reasured. He thought to himself about how he could have fallen asleep and laughed at the thought, but when he looked to where Joey had been lying last night, his smile suddenly dropped. Joey wasn't there.


	8. Lost And Alone

**8 Lost & Alone**

_...If you're on your own with this life, the days and nights are long. If you think you've had too much with this life, hang on..._

Chandler lunged at Ross to wake him, "_Where's Joey? Ross, get up_!" He could feel his anger building. Ross jumped with surpise as Chandler shook him violently on the ground, "Chandler...What the...?" Confused and battered he leaped to his feet. Chandler was breathing scornfully and dashed around him in desperation. Then Ross too realised the indentation in the ground where Joey had been resting, "Oh my god!" He thought quickly about what to do, "We should split up...and..." He stopped in mid-sentence, he had heard something in the distance. Chandler looked up immediately, he had heard it too, "Chandler!" It was Joey.

The calls were far away and desperate, they were accompanied with a long and unintensional scream. Chandler just ran for where he thought it was coming from, and Ross followed, though he was much slower and struggled to keep up, "Chandler, wait!" Chandler did not wish to stop and continued running. He did not care what Ross thought and wanted only to follow his own heart. He continued to run until he was swallowed waist deep by the hungry grasses. Then he ran out of breath; he had a stitch in his side and under his left shoulder which forced him to stop.

As he stood to regain his breath, he listened out for a guiding call from Joey, but all he heard was a very faint calling from behind him. Ross' voice seemed very faint as though it had been lost in the tangle of grass. Chandler listened hard to the voice but he couldn't make it out anymore. Looking around he couldn't see anyone, and ahead of him the towering blue mountain was summoning him. He panicked for a moment as he realized that he had not only lost Joey, but now also Ross. In desperation he called for Ross, his hands cupped together for effect. But there was no reply.

Chandler thought that he did need Ross at all times with him, though he knew if Ross had to live on his own out there he would be able to survive for a while until they could reunite. Joey on the other hand, probably wouldn't stand a chance. Not as a healthy person, never mind in the state that he was in. Chandler had almost fully regained his breath, when he he saw in the grass, a small trace of blood. He stepped closer, his mouth agape, and noticed it led to a patchy, uneven trail.

Almost hidden in the green and straw coloured grass, was a slightly distorted path heading through it. Chandler had made his decision, and immediately started to pick up his pace after the trail. Chandler felt unstoppable, he could not remember ever running this fast, but guessed he never really had a reason for it. He hadn't run much in his life, and not ever through such thick grass. He could feel the grass lashing at his waist as he ran, looking down to his feet, where the trail grew infront of him.

He was encouraged to go on as he spotted a place ahead where the grass ended, and a large area of dirt spread accross the land as far as he could see. As he reached the border of the new grounds, he stopped for another breather, finding the lack of obscuarble grass a high advantage.There were still small growths of grass in odd places around where he could see. Chandler eyed the border carefully, there was nothing much else there except some large, brown rocks which cast sinister shaddows onto the ground; and as he looked alertly up at them he could see some odd rock formations on the top.

Chandler felt intimidated by the their sheer size, he eyed them carefully as he paced through the dry and desolate environment. His eyes were still parcially on the ground as he followed the walls of rock. He scanned for more red liquid clues, but near the edge of one large boulder, the trail had stopped. Just one trace of blood, spilling over a small rock. It looked fresh, still dripping onto the ground below.

Chandler became uneasy, realizing that he can't be far from Joey. He suddenly feared the most, if anything could have dragged Joey away this far it must have been big. Atleast big enough to drag a man along the ground for several miles. Through all the grassy terrain, and Chandler thought about Joey being conscious and dragged alive through the grass by some horrible...creature...He couldn't bare to think of it. He wanted to call to Joey but something in his mind was telling him that this creature was still out there, and would hear him and then attack him too. Quickly he picked up a stick as a weapon, he felt safer with it. Then, with weapon in hand he yelled, "_Joey?_" His voice boomed accross the area, and echoed itself through the gigantic rock features. He was about to let out another yell, when he heard another call, "_Chandler_..." Chandler recognised it was Joey. He sounded in a worse state than the day before. The same as the day he had found him in the apartment but louder. "Joey, where are you?" Chandler shouted, but there was no reply.

Chandler was however already scaling the rocks, as he figured the voice had come from a secluded area on the top of the biggest rock formation. There were several large rocks for Chandler to scale, but he had to abandon his weapon on the way up. Chandler climbed quickly and clumsily, dislodging some smaller rocks with his hands and feet as he tried to find a grip. He had only climbed a few feet and was already anxious about looking down.

_...I've known the wind so cold, seen the darkest days. But now the winds I feel are only winds of change. I've been through the fire and Iv'e been through the rain, but I've been fine. Cos I've got faith of the heart..._


	9. Wolf

**9 Wolf**

_...You're the one who saw through it all. You were my __strengh__ when I was weak. You were my words when I couldn't speak. You were my eyes when I couldn't see. You saw the pain there was in me. _

There was another scream from the top, and Chandler climbed faster, "I'm coming, Joey!" he yelled, almost falling as his foot slipped in the moment of the scream. Then he heard a scattering of rocks below him. For a moment he thought it was just his own clumsiness, but there was a voice,

"...Looking for something...or should I say..._someone_?"

The voice which came from below sounded monotonous and suggested little emotion. Chandler thought Ross was playing a prank on him but when he turned; he saw something that caused him to jump out of place of his footing. He almost landed on his face but managed to catch himself with an arm onto a rock. Still above the voice/creature, Chandler grabbed tightly to the rocks, bending his elbows out behind him. He stared wide eyed; before him was the figure of a wolf.

Chandler noticed that there was only one wolf, and no one else around, "Who...who said that?" Chandler said worriedly. The wolf gave him an almost human-like grin, "You must be Chandler..." Chandler did not like the tone of the wolf; it sounded unfriendly, "What do you want?" Chandler's hands were beginning to shake.

The wolf continued to grin, "I know what _you _want." He replied craftily, "And let me give you a little advice; if you want your friend alive, you follow me." And with that the wolf turned expectantly and leaped onto one of the higher rocks near Chandler. Chandler was only beginning to take in the effect of the appearance of a wolf, an animal he had so far as his memory could recall, only seen in TV documentaries; and was amazed also, at the agility of this creature. The wolf took a few effortless strides up the side of the rocks, then turned to Chandler, "Come quickly, don't waste time." He said sternly. Chandler had indeed no time to waste; he also knew he was taking a chance but he felt he had no other option than to follow the wolf.

Chandler hurried up the rocks, he gulped as he looked up. There were still only a few large rocks ahead of him. As he climbed he gritted his teeth and dug his fingernails, almost leaving scratches in the rock. He was not sure how far he had gotten when suddenly his hand felt the top. Pulling himself up Chandler took a nervous glance around. He was greeted by a breeze of wind which he let ruffle his hair and relieve his burning skin. At the top Chandler was out of breath again; as he noticed the wolf, waiting patiently near the other end of the cliff top.

Chandler approached the wolf steadily, and peered down the side of the cliff. There was a long drop; several metres below there was a string of river. Chandler stepped back; he had broken into a sweat. He turned to see the wolf padding slowly out of sight.

Chandler followed it, "Wait!" He had lost track for a moment before he spotted a thick grey tail slide behind a rock. The rock was to one side of the cliff top, where there was a wall of them pointing to the sky. Chandler went straight around the corner after the wolf, where there were two continuous walls of rock. He could not see the wolf, but followed the path. Chandler noticed the shadows of the walls, filling the entire ravine with their darkness.

He took deep breaths as he walked, his paces slowed in the fear. As he continued, the walls merged together at the top to form an arch. The arch continued to form a dark ceiling above Chandler's head, and he could feel the darkness growing around him. Chandler shivered as he noticed several hundred stalactites waiting to seize him in the dark.

The silence in the cavern was broken every few seconds by deep, echoing drops which seemed to be falling out of nowhere. Chandler thought his own footsteps caused the drops, as he heard them boom through the silent atmosphere. He wanted to leave; to simply turn and run, heading straight back to safety, but another part of him was edging him on, telling him that there will be light on the other end of the tunnel. A call from the distance ahead reached Chandler and repeated itself across the many chambers in the cavern, "Chandler!" It was accompanied by an ear-piercing scream. Encouraged by Joey's voice, Chandler wanted to go faster still, he was relieved to hear that his friend was still alive. Chandler tried not to imagine what was happening to him, causing him to scream. He wondered if the wolf was involved, or if he really _was_ there to help him. Maybe both. Though he had no current aim other than to reach Joey.

The end of the tunnel was approaching as Chandler ran the last mile. He got to a large opening at the heart of the cave, with a few flimsy beams of light reaching to the ground. There were many more tunnels around the circular opening; Chandler was beginning to feel lost, and very alone. Then one of the rays of light gave a feint flicker. Chandler looked to see that the wolf was standing beneath it, eyeing him with precaution.

"This way!" It signalled with its head as it began to walk. The wolf directed Chandler into the tunnel on the far left. He entered after the wolf, as it slid into the darkness, and then disappeared. Chandler kept walking, his heart racing. He noticed that this was a much shorter tunnel than before, as he could already see some more light shining through from above.

He entered the new secluded space, where a much bigger ray of light was showing up a thick cloud of dust spiralling toward the ground. Chandler looked around; he heard another shout, much louder this time. Chandler could feel the presence of Joey near him, but couldn't make out anything other than the slight variations in tone, of the dark, engulfing walls.

He decided to call, "Joey...?" He almost jumped at his own voice, which still boomed angrily back at him. Then there was a reply, "_Chandler... is that you...?_" Joey sounded very lifeless. Chandler ran to the corner of the cave, his feet stumbling over rocks in the dark. He followed the sound, wide-eyed and impatient. "I'm coming, Joey." Chandler reassured his friend, though he had no idea where he was.

He then looked immediately startled, as he saw up high in the meagre light, the wolf. The wolf was sitting this time on a rock, looking down at Chandler like a king upon his throne. Chandler became impatient, "_Where is Joey?_" His anger building. The wolf remained silent, and stood up. It looked even more powerful. Then it lifted a sturdy paw, and hooked it's claws into the ceiling, causing the roof to spit small rocks.

The rocks crackled on the ground, and they were accompanied by several larger rocks, when finally a huge cluster of rocks cascaded from above. A large beam of light now entered the cave, joining the other beam and reinforcing it. The wolf put down its mighty paw, and continued to focus its burning amber eyes on Chandler. Chandler, not understanding, looked quickly to the gigantic light source; it had revealed something to him which he could not see before.

_You lifted me up when I couldn't reach. You gave me faith __cos__ you believed: I'm everything I am, because you loved me. You gave me wings to make me fly. You touched my hand, I could touch the sky. _


	10. Arms When I Couldn't Reach

**10 Arms When I Couldn't Reach**

_I lost my __faith,__ you gave it back to me. You said no star was out of reach. You stood by me and I stood tall. I had your love I had it all. I'm crazy for each day with you. Baby I don't know that much, but I know this much is true: I was blessed because I was loved by you..._

Chandler gasped and raised his voice in shock, "Joey!" He yelled in fear. Joey was lying on a flat rock surface, his arms were stretched out and his hands met behind his head where they were tied. Chandler saw that Joey was in a worse state than before, his shirt and jeans were completely torn to shreds, and he was bleeding freshly from his forehead and side. He was soaked in his own blood on one side, and onto his legs. His eyes were dreary but desperate,

"Chandler..." he could hardly speak anymore. Chandler sat next to him, his hands were shaking and he grabbed Chandler's shirt to still them. "Why are his hands tied up...?" He yelled at the wolf, still looking down at the ground. The wolf blinked a few times to seem as if it was impressed, "Well you see, Chandler..."

The wolf looked down its nose as it spoke, "I still have to show you the other part of the deal." Then, before Chandler had time to think, the wolf leaped onto the ground before him, and stood near the end of Joey's feet, where he let out a long and powerful howl. The howl bellowed through the tunnel chambers and into Chandler's ears like a very expressive migraine. Chandler had to clasp his ears for a moment with his hands. In a split second almost, the ground fell open like a giant trapdoor, exposing a dark and horrifying emptiness below.

Chandler managed to leap out of the way of the destruction, leaving Joey to fall into the depths. of the underworld. His hands were tied still and his fists were caught tightly by the straining rope. Chandler stood at the foot of what seemed like an endless death pit, staring at Joey, hanging from the rope, still extended to the other side. He did not know what was keeping it from hurling off the edge. Joey looked quickly down, and then closed in eyes in terror. His face was nestled stiffly into his right shoulder as he dared not look at all. His legs were waving apart from each other to the certain death scene. He looked suddenly to Chandler, to realize he was still crouching by the edge. Chandler stretched out a shivering arm, "Hang on. I almost gotcha. _Do not _look down!"

Chandler forced himself not to give in to his emotions; he looked around for a secure foothold so he could get to Joey. Joey felt he was unable to move, or cooperate in helping his friend. He was wimpering pathetically into his shirt now, "Chandler, go quick! This is a trap, get outta here!" Chandler shook his head, "_No, I will not leave you now_..." He began to whimper a little under his breath. Then the wolf appeared out of the shadows, "Need any help?" It said, in apathy of seeing the two friends become bate for his trap. Chandler tightened up, "_You! _What the hell do you _want_ from us?" He could feel his throat begin to burn. The wolf remained calm, "I want for you to contribute..." As it said so, it motioned for Chandler to look at the rope. The cliff edge was cutting into the rope, causing it slowly to fray. Chandler watched in horror from the opposite ledge. The wolf was still as unconcerned as before, "You will find for me... the stone." It sniffed the air with its eyes on Chandler, waiting for a reply. "Stone? I'll get a stone, any stone...Just stop this!" Chandler yelled in confusion. The rope continued to fray until one section of it was freed, and the rope dropped a centimetre. Joey yelled, his abused heart was racing.

Chandler tried quickly to reason with the wolf, "It's a deal, help him!" The wolf did not move, "Well what are you doing? Pull him out!" Chandler urged. Then the rope cut through, completely. Joey felt the gravity cling to his stomach, and his hands, still tied, dropped after him. Chandler immediately lunged at the rope, and managed to grip it with both hands, his body thrown to the ground. He struggled to keep hold of the rope but could feel the weight of Joey pulling him down into the darkness below. Joey was stunned to notice he had been caught from falling any farther, he whimpered under his breath, "Chandler, let go...I'm gonna pull you down with me." He grimaced as his mind tortured him to speak these words. Chandler pulled as hard as he could; it was obvious in his mind, that if Joey were to go down, he would go with him. "No! I've gotcha."

He forced his legs back up and fixed his feet firmly on the ground. He took one mighty heave at the rope. Joey felt the strain on his arms as they were being levered up, and the rope digging tightly into his wrists. He tried with will power as hard as he could to get back onto the ground. He dug with his feet onto the wall behind him, to lessen the strain of the rope and to get himself out of there quicker. Joey was pulled far enough out that his legs were still hanging over the edge. Chandler then pulled his legs up manually; he leant forward to regain his breath for a moment, while he untied Joey's wrists. The cave seemed unsettlingly quiet, as the wolf watched in apathy at the two. It then perked its ears unnervingly and sniffed the air. Chandler saw its odd behaviour,

"_What's up with you?_"He was still angry at the creature. The wolf did not answer but began to move away, glancing in their direction nervously. Chandler, who thought the wolf was a wacko anyway, thought there was nothing happening for a moment, until he too began to feel a strange sensation in the ground. He was suddenly reminded of the apartment, and the way it shook before the walls caved in. The whole place was soon a disaster area, it was not long until there came the thundering of falling rocks. The ground broke up into brittle sections, spreading quickly out from the gap near Chandler and Joey. "Joey, get up!" Chandler grabbed Joey and seized him under his arm. Joey pulled himself to his feet and forced his legs to move with Chandler's. They both ran under the falling rocks, some as big as their heads. Chandler was looking up as he ran, dodging them as best he could. Several rocks about the size of his fist rained down onto his shoulders and onto Joey, but he kept moving constantly, until they reached the familiar heart of the cave.

Chandler thought quickly about which route to take back, but had got disorientated in the hurry. With no time to waste, he dragged Joey quickly through the tunnel entrance nearest to him. He could see light on the other side. Chandler could feel the weight of Joey becoming heavier on his shoulder, forcing him to slow his pace. Joey struggled to keep up with Chandler, the pain from his injuries was seething and becoming harder to cope with. The rocks and boulders crashed ferociously behind them, building a blockage through the tunnel, and chasing them to the light ahead. When Chandler was within reach of the light, he stretched out an arm in front as he ran, touching its celestial shimmer. The setting sun was shedding its last beam of light for the day.

Chandler took one last acceleration, the full weight of Joey with him, and took a leap for freedom. The rocks behind crashed to the ground and rolled into one another. The entrance to the tunnel cave broke into clusters and collapsed, leaving a cloud of angry smoke behind. Chandler was still moving, there was a steep downhill slope at his feet. He secured his hold of Chandler and took a step down the rock-exposed hill. Then his hands slipped as the weight of Joey gained on him. He almost dropped him, but managed to get a hold under his shoulders and began to pull him down the hill. Chandler's arms were burning at the effort. His sweat-covered head was pulsating and his legs were begging him for a rest. A nearby acacia tree provided a little shelter, and Chandler had stopped for a rest once they were there. They were lucky enough to have gotten here before nightfall, and could still vaguely see what was in front of them.

Chandler looked around restlessly beside the tree; there was a small water hole a few feet away from the shaded area. He suddenly jumped up in excitement and leaped for the water. He threw his face into the cool liquid and splashed with his hands in pleasure. He drank several gallons of it, then took a scoop on his hands and brought it to Joey who was lying still. His mouth was open, gulping air like a freshly caught fish. Chandler showered Joey's hot face with the water, and laughed at the opportunity. Joey laughed in surprise at the relief of the cooling water, "Water! Where is it?" He sat up to lean on the tree. Chandler broke into laughter as he went for more water, and this time Joey edged himself to the waterhole for a drink. He submerged his face into the water fully, and took it out; shaking his dripping wet hair onto Chandler who was cracking up in amusement. Chandler took off his shoes to relieve his aching feet, and cooled them in the water. Joey let himself fall back into the grass, inhaling the sweet pleasurable air. Chandler put on his shoes to join him.

In the distance the rumbling of the rocks had died down and they were left with the stillness of the surrounding trees.

Occasionally a bird would skate across the sky accompanied by a peaceful song. Chandler let the cooling breeze stroke his face and hair, as he closed his eyes in thought. Joey tried to ignore the seething pain in his side and forehead, "Thanks for saving me Chandler." He said quietly. Chandler smiled and took a deep breath; he opened his mouth to say something, but broke into laughter. He stared at Joey for a moment, and then grinned, "This is a crazy world, huh?" He said in the height of the moment. Chandler calmed down and stared again at the endless sky, "That's true..." He thought out loud. Then they both took a deep breath and thought for a long time as the sun disappeared off the horizon.


	11. Sukari

**11 Sukari**

_...I wonder what it's like to be loved by you, I wonder what it's like to be home. And I don't walk where there's a stone in my shoe, all I know, that in time I'll be fine..._

The next time Chandler awoke, the warm and foul smelling breath of a wolf had hit him in the face. "Yeah, it's them alright." The wolf signalled. Chandler tried to crawl away from the revolting stench of the wolf, as he noticed behind the wolf was also standing a brown lioness. The lioness looked surprisedly at Chandler, but spoke to the wolf, "Don't be so harsh, wolf. If you only had the decency to tell them why they were here-" But the wolf interrupted,

"Don't spoil the plan now, Sukari." It sniffed Chandler's face, revealing rows of dagger-like teeth. Chandler noticed too that Joey was staring at the animals in horror. The wolf was calm, but seemed a little frustrated, "So you thought you could escape our little deal..."

Chandler gasped, he had forgotten about the deal he had been rushed into the night before, "...What, run away? Did you _see_ the walls caving in over our heads?" Chandler mocked the wolf. The lioness was beginning to giggle a little but the wolf gave her a cold, hard glare and she looked ashamedly to the ground again. "You _will _give the stone to me, or I'll make a kill...A _human_ kill" The wolf growled under its breath.

Then the lioness stepped in, "Have you even_ told _them _about_ the stone?" She asked, a little anoyed at the wolf's impatience.

"Fine." The wolf sighed. Chandler and Joey listened. "The stone. It's real name is the _Suri Maha_." As he said so, a low rumble could be heard in the distant sky. "We don't use that name much." The wolf looked behind him to the mountains, then looked back and continued, "The stone had been passed down through generations, the same family of stone holders, but the stone has gotten into the wrong hands...I work for someone who...is _supposed_ to have inherited it. I need to bring the stone to its rightful holder..." The wolf stared at Joey who was beginning to feel more unsettled. Then Chandler interrupted "_So you got us to do it for you_?" Chandler yelled. The wolf continued to stare at Joey, "..._you_ _have_ the stone." the wolf's eyes were gazing into Joey's, who sat open-mouthed in disbelief. "Me? How me?" Chandler shook his head, "That's a load of crap. We don't have any stone. _If you wanna damn stone just get one_..." He shouted angrily, "Here is a stone!" He pointed to a stone as he stood up. He picked it up and shook it in front of the wolf's nose as he yelled, "A stone, See?" He then threw it next to the wolf's paw, his teeth gritted in anger. The wolf remained standing still, its eyes were fixed firmly onto Chandler's, "The stone isn't in its physical form, it's been absorbed, by you." He motioned with his head and eyes toward Joey. Joey sat open-mouthed in silence. Chandler felt his fists curl into tight balls, he wanted to beat up the wolf that instant, but had to refrain from doing so.

"Prove it", said Joey finally. The wolf sighed, "There is no way of proving it...unless you decide to use your powers, but chances are you won't know _how_ to use them." Joey stood up, and suddenly looked shocked to find what had happened. "I... don't feel any pain... I'm healed." He panted astonished and wide-eyed at Chandler, who also looked surprised. The wolf shook his head and glanced quicky at Sukari, then looked back at Joey, "If it weren't for the stone's powers you'd be dead right now." He sounded a little angered, "Seems you absorbed it just in time to spare your life...but the stone can't save you from any more injuries." Then Chandler broke into anger, "I see your plan. You're gonna kill Joey so you can have the stone, how could you be so cold-hearted?" he shouted, gritting his teeth.

"In return..." The wolf began, but Sukari interupted, "-Stop it wolf, you know you don't have to kill him." The wolf glared at the lioness, but she contiued, "You can extract the stone from him in the same way it was extracted from its previous holder. Do it without killing him!" She yelled. The wolf broke in, "Silence, Sukari" he snapped at her with his powerful jaws, but she ducked, "I am choosing to follow the orders of Civet, which is to _kill_ the holder of the stone." With that the wolf leaped in front of Joey, and exposed his vile teeth. The strong jaws clamped into Joey's arm as the wolf tried to bring him down, Chandler threw himself at the wolf and ripped at his silver fur in anguish. The wolf turned his head and snapped at Chandler who avoided the jaws by rolling himself off the wolf's back. Joey managed to run a metre away from the wolf where he bumped into Chandler. They turned around to see the wolf was headed for them in a slow trot, his muzzle frothing with spit. The lioness screamed at the wolf, "Wolf, no. Leave them alone!" She ran at the wolf's side, but he paid no attention to her, as his eyes were firmly fixed on his targets. "Stop!" She raised an agressive paw and dug her claws into the wolf's front leg. The wolf howled in pain and turned a pair of reddened eyes at Sukari. "You traitor!" He snapped at her with his jaws but missed her neck by an inch, she jumped to the side and yelled, "There's no need for this!"

_...I wonder what it's like to fly so high, or to breath under the sea. I wonder if someday I'll be good at goodbyes, but I'll be OK if you come along with me..._


	12. The Portal

**12 The Portal**

_...Such a long, long way to go. And where I'm going I don't know. I'm just following the road for a walk in the sun, for a walk in the sun._

The wolf fumed at Sukari, now a little calmer, "So...you don't want me to kill them..." He breathed, "Well, it's not like they stand much of a chance out here anyway. I'll just wait till something else kills them for me. Job done for me, why didn't I think of that before?"

He laughed at the irony of the situation. Sukari looked to Joey and Chandler, who were making an escape through the grass.

They were running, though exhausted, for their lives. The wolf didn't feel the need to look at them; it was obvious to him that they were running. He could hear their crashing footsteps through the brush, now a mile or two away.

Sukari then looked wide-eyed as she noticed them struggling, as Joey had fallen and they were both out of breath. Sukari sighed and bowed her head; the wolf watched them in silence.

Chandler stood up; he couldn't see the animals through the tall grass, "Why haven't they caught up with us yet?" He sounded impatient and infused in anger. Joey stood with his mouth agape, facing the direction they had been running from. "What now, are they just waiting for us to give up?"

Chandler continued. Joey narrowed his eyes to focus, he could barely see the wolf and the lioness, but something else had caught his attention. The wolf looked to his left; the corner of his eye had caught a flash of light which almost caused him to flinch.

Sukari turned slowly to the light, there was a circular shape which seemed to be configuring itself out of patches of sky blue and white light. The wolf stared through narrowed eyes, "The portal. If we mess this up we could lose the stone, don't do anything stupid this time." He glared at Sukari. She ignored him and started to pace toward Joey and Chandler, "It's a portal, you guys, a chance to get away, hurry!"

They heard the call, and were still transfixed onto the gateway of light. Chandler was positive that something was wrong, "What's on the other side of it?" He called back to Sukari, who was by now standing amidst the two. The wolf caught up with Sukari and now stood between the three of them and the portal. He sniffed the air in eloquence, "That portal will only lead you to a certain death.

Forget about your home, you can't get back." Chandler shook his head; he looked to Joey who was gazing confusedly at the situation. Chandler kicked the ground; the wolf had to blink away the cloud of dust which irritated his eyes. "You're lying." Chandler shouted angrily. The wolf kept himself calm, "I was going to let you live, Chandler but you just blew your chance." The wolf grit his teeth, "Now you're both gonna die." Sukari positioned herself between the wolf and the two men. She opened her mouth to say something but looked up and yelled, "The portal is closing, hurry you two. GO!" Chandler took Joey by the arm and urged him into the direction of the pothole.

Joey was surprised to have been grabbed in this way and felt as though his arm had been wrenched off, but he decided to follow Chandler. Chandler let go of Joey to put on a full sprint toward the portal. He was so close he could almost touch the light with an outstretched arm; he turned to make sure Joey was still following. Joey had managed to catch up with him, he looked behind him, and the lioness was smiling open-mouthed at their success.

The wolf was seething; he could not let his chance surpass him this easily. He soared past Sukari in a flash of fury and fur. Chandler watched the wolf approach at this fast pace, he was curious as to what the wolf would do, and still unsure about what his outcome would be if he entered the portal.

The wolf slowed down his pace; still enraged he leaped straight for Joey and forced him to the ground, pinning him down with his weight and lethal claws. Joey spluttered for breath, he was overwhelmed by the strength of this creature. Chandler was unable to stop the powerful wolf, and going through the portal now would mean leaving Joey to his death. The wolf held Joey tightly to the ground, it seemed an effortless task for him, "Go Chandler, the portal is all yours." He grinned. Sukari stood and glared with disappointment, Chandler, go, save yourself while you still can!"

Chandler panted with distraught, unable to decide he could only watch the wolf. He did not know how long the wolf would hold before he would kill Joey. Sukari was still determined to help, though she felt there was nothing she could say to convince Chandler to enter the portal. She thought for a moment about trying to fight the wolf, but she knew he would easily overpower her. Joey looked into Chandler's worried eyes; he was not in the frame of mind for giving up.

Joey fought against the wolf's strengthening hold, he kicked and punched at his chest. The wolf seemed a little shaken by Joey's reaction and felt the blows to his chest, they were pretty strong. Then Joey surged all his strength into his arms, and forced both his fists onto the wolf's chest. The blows hit the wolf like cannon balls in his ribs, and he felt himself be thrown aside onto the ground.

Joey, realizing he was free of the wolf's body, quickly rolled to the right and bounced back onto his feet, he could feel a sudden burst of energy thriving within him. Chandler stared in awe at his friend, and then at the wolf, who was lying, panting on the ground. Joey met up with Chandler and they both stood thinking over the moment which had just surpassed them. Sukari jumped into their view, she was uncontrollably excited,

"It's the stone, Joey. It gave you strength and you used it well!" Joey felt as though he could laugh, rubbed his forehead in disbelief. Sukari continued, "This world is not safe for you though, you have to go through the portal now before it closes." Chandler narrowed his eyes,

"How do we know no-one's just waiting to kill us on the other side?" He asked craftily. Sukari looked more determined than ever, "I don't know...no-one knows. The important thing is that wolf will never find you there." She looked at the wolf in reference to her words. Chandler and Joey looked at each other. The wolf had opened his eyes; he knew he could not find the strength to kill Joey now,

"Sukari is right...but you should know that you can never get back home..." his words were accompanied by a low growl in the back of his throat.

"I'm a defeated wolf. Now Civet is going to finish the job." Chandler and Joey saw the portal begin to rewind itself; Chandler stared intently at the elusive light, and took a brave step into it. He disappeared in a second through the gate, and Joey followed him, closing his eyes as he took the step. The two of them gone, the wolf looked to Sukari, "There's still the matter of _you_ of course.

I think you should go with them." Sukari stared at the wolf, and then focused her eyes on the portal, the light was still alive with movement. The wolf lay calmly and expectantly by her. Sukari thought about the wolf for a moment, she had known him for a while as a co-worker and felt as though she was losing an old friend. She had not seen the accepting side of him in a long time.

In the back of her mind she pondered about the two humans. _What is going to happen to them so far from home?_ The wolf knew her well enough to read her like a book, "You can join them Suk, protect them from whatever's out there."

The wolf encouraged. Sukari looked to the portal and slowly padded across to it; she turned her head once to appreciate a nod from the wolf, and then disappeared through the portal. Within seconds the portal closed.

_It's been a long night, trying to find my way. Through the darkness. And now I've finally had my day. But I will see my dream come alive at night, I will touch the sky. And they're not __gonna__ hold me down no more, no they're not __gonna__ change my mind. Cos I've got faith of the heart._


End file.
